Northwestern professor shares firsthand accounts of Syrians in TIME magazine cover story

EVANSTON - Northwestern University professor Wendy Pearlman’s poignant accounts of Syrians speaking from the rubble of their crumbling country was chosen by TIME magazine for its March 12 cover in international editions.

Pearlman, an associate professor of political science, shares first-hand accounts of the people of eastern Ghouta in the article, “Life Under Assad’s Bombs in a Damascus Suburb.” The heart-wrenching stories and photographs provide a snapshot of the horrors Syrians are enduring.

The article is co-authored with Loubna Mrie, a Syrian journalist and writer, and includes pictures by photographer Mohammed Badra.

Pearlman is the author of “We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria,” (HarperCollins, 2017) which was published in June. She was so moved by the courage and humanity in the stories ordinary Syrians told of their protest against a brutal regime, she interviewed more than 300 displaced Syrians across the Middle East and Europe in order to share their accounts in the book.

In her book, she offers intimate stories and poetic fragments from a cross-section of Syrians whose lives have been transformed by revolution, war and flight. The book chronicles the origins and evolution of the Syrian conflict, exclusively through first-hand testimonials.

Longlisted by the American Library Association for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence,“We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled” has earned critical acclaim locally and nationally. The Chicago Review of Books called it “A powerful must-read book for anyone wanting to understand what’s happening in Syria and why it matters.” The New York Times Book Review selected it as one of its “Editor’s Choice Recommended New Books,” calling it “essential reading in the emerging body of literary reportage from Syria in English.” It also was reviewed in the New York Review of Books.